


The Fullmetal Armstrong

by xama



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Family, Family Secrets, Gen, Sort Of, pretty cracky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 00:31:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13065402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xama/pseuds/xama
Summary: Elric wasn't always Trisha's last name, she adopted it out of necessity after she was forced to run away from home. Years later, her brother realizes the true identity of Edward and Alphonse - and eventually tells them.





	The Fullmetal Armstrong

**Central City, 19 years ago.**

 

“Trisha? Is that you?”

Trisha smiled at her younger brother, and ruffled his already-thinning hair “Yes, now go back to bed, Alex Louis.”

Alex didn’t go to bed, instead he stared at her – dressed up to go out, with a duffel bag that looked to be full of clothing. “Where are you going, Trisha? I thought you were done with school, and your marriage to Lieutenant Archer isn’t until winter.”

Trisha sighed, and put down her duffel bag, turning fully to face Alex. “I’m not going to marry Archer, Al. He’s weird, and angry, and he’s only marrying me for the power and influence the Armstrong name brings. He’s already being fast-tracked to captain, and our engagement was only announced last month!”

Alex sniffed, and looked like he was holding back tears “Oh, how daring! My own sister, escaping a loveless marriage~ Give me a moment and I’ll go with you!”

Trisha couldn’t decide if she wanted to laugh at her brother’s antics, or cry. She did neither, instead she hugged him. “Oh Al, I’m going to miss you.” Then she pulled away, and said “But you can’t come with, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you.”

“But what about your life? Where will you go?”

“A friend from school is engaged to a doctor from a small town in the east, sort of near Ishval, I’ll be able to stay there for a little bit.”

Alex looked near tears again, but instead of saying anything, he hugged her again, and made her promise to write if she could. With that, she left.

 

* * *

 

**Resembool, 19 years ago.**

 

“Are you Trisha Guinevere Armstrong?”

Trisha’s eyes widened, and she put a finger to her mouth, “NO, just Trisha, please! Are you Doctor Rockbell?”

“That’s my name,” said the graying woman, taking a puff on her pipe. “Come on, I’ve got a piece of automail I need to get back to.”

Trisha shrugged at the less-than-warm reception, and followed her. As they got further away from the train station, Trisha became aware of a noise, almost like shrieking. She stopped, “What is that?”

Dr. Rockbell shrugged, “Oh, that’s just Hohenheim.”

“That’s… not really an explanation.”

No answer came from Dr. Rockbell, she just kept walking, and Trisha had to jog to catch up. Soon enough, they came to a house that may have been large objectively, yet was minuscule if compared to any of the Armstrong residences.

Rockbell opened the door, tapping her foot expectantly; Trisha rushed through the door. “You door’s up the stairs, third on the left. Put your bag down and wash up, I could use some help starting on dinner.” Trisha started for the stairs, but had to stop “By the way” Rockbell held out her hand, “welcome to Resembool.” Trisha smiled, and shook it. Maybe her time here would be good for her - “HOOOOOOOOOMUNCULUSSSS YOU MISERABLE DWARF, WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME” - or maybe she should leave as soon as possible to get away from this “Hohenheim” and his screaming.

 

* * *

 

 

**Central City, About One Year Ago-Present Day.**

 

Alex Louis Armstrong first saw the young man with the metal arm, the golden hair, and the Armstrong family’s signature cowlick, he knew. He saw the defiant expression on his face that mirrored Trisha’s when she realized that their parents were going to force her to marry Archer. He looked, and he knew, at that moment, that this was Trisha’s son. Alex was dying to walk up and greet his nephew, introduce himself, ask after his mother, and what happened to his arm, ask why her letters had stopped 2 years ago, but he couldn’t. The boy – Edward Philip, probably, judging by the aforementioned defiance – was about to take the State Alchemist certification, and it would be suspicious if he was seen talking with a State Alchemist just before the test started.

 

The next time Alex sees his nephew, it is in the process of saving his life, and the life of a giant suit of armor – judging by the way they’re talking, it is Alex’s other nephew, and namesake, Al. On the train and in Resembool, he has a real opportunity to get to know his nephews. He still doesn’t say anything, mainly because he’s still reeling from what happened. If only he’d known! If only he had thought to investigate the sudden cessation of communication, if only he had been there for his poor nephews!

 

Eventually, it slips his mind – not his nephews, they are always near the top, but rather the thought of telling them. There is always something more important: the continued threat of Scar, Laboratory 5, the true nature of a Philosophers’ Stone, Maes Hughes’ death, Maria Ross’s ‘death’, all these matters are more pressing, until finally, Alex realizes that the Promised Day has come and gone, and they still do not know the truth! He immediately rushes to the hospital to rectify that.

 

* * *

 

“Ed, there’s someone knocking on the door.”

“Yeah, well, let ‘em knock, I’m reading.”

“Brother! Go open the door!” Rather than answer, Ed put his book over his face and turned away. Al narrowed his eyes, “Well, if you won’t get the door, I will -”

Ed stood up before Al could finish his sentence, “Don’t, don’t! You’ll hurt yourself!”

Al looked at Ed. Ed looked back. Ed sighed, and went to open the door. And then was almost barreled over by an excited Major Armstrong. “Edward! Alphonse! I have something very important I need to tell you!”

 

* * *

 

“Colonel! Did you hear that?”

“Yes, it sounded like Major Armstrong crying and proclaiming how sad something is.”

Breda made to put his book down, “It seems to be coming from the Elrics’ room sir, should I go check?”

Mustang considered this, “… no, let him get it all out. Who knows what this is about, maybe he just learned that they were separated for the last few months, best not to get between him and his drama.”

 

* * *

 

 

Half an hour later, Armstrong – Uncle Alex, if he was to be believed, left the room to get some water.

“What.”

“Brother, I think he was very clear-”

“Al, you know what I mean.”

“….Yeah, I do.”

“Just, what.”

“You do have the cowlick, brother.”

“Well, yeah-”

“And you’ve grown an awful lot in the last few months.”

Ed smiled, and stretched to full height “Thanks!”

“You still have a lot to go to be Armstrong-sized, but I’m sure you’ll get there!”

Ed only deflated a little bit, suddenly completely on-board with the whole Armstrong thing, if it meant he would grow to be as tall as ‘Uncle Alex’.

 

* * *

 

 

General Olivier Mira Armstrong didn't get to her position without knowing when something was about to go down - she could feel it in her bones. The North was safe for the time being, Drachma's army being temporarily defeated; Central was in the capable hands of General Grumman; it had to be Alex. Whatever he was doing, she wanted no part of it; Alex knew how to pull strings, he'd learned from their mother just as she had. The only way to be truly free of whatever he was planning was to leave Amestris, albeit temporarily.

Two and a half days after the Promised Day, Olivier Armstrong was out of Amestris; 3 days after the Promised Day, she was scoping out Creta's defenses and getting her first tan in ten years.

Unfortunately, she had neglected to tell anybody that she was going on vacation.

 

* * *

 

"Please, Hawkeye, tell me some good news!" pled newly promoted General Mustang.

"Sorry sir, almost 2 weeks and still no sign of General Armstrong."

"Are we sure she hasn't gone North?"

"Completely."

"Damn it! If she doesn't show up soon, I'm going to be in charge of her crazy family!"

"Maybe that's why she disappeared, sir,"

"Damn it."

 

**Author's Note:**

> I just completely pulled Ed's middle name out of my ass. This was inspired by a crack theory I had in a discord I'm in. I'll write more eventually, probably.


End file.
